Mega Millions

Mega Millions was first launched in 1996 (under the name The Big Game) and is played in 44 states as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game’s biggest jackpot came in March 2012, when three ticket holders ended a run of 18 consecutive rollovers to share an enormous $656 million fortune. Mega Millions, which costs $2 to play, continues to be one of America’s favourite lotteries, with jackpots that start at an impressive $40 million and regularly run into hundreds of millions of dollars.

Mega Millions draws take place every Tuesday and Friday evening at 23.00 ET and are broadcast live from the WSB-TV studio in Atlanta, Georgia.

Play Mega Millions

To play Mega Millions, players must first choose five main numbers from a pool of 1 to 70 followed by one Mega Ball between 1 and 25. There are nine different prize tiers in Mega Millions, ranging from matching just the Mega Ball to matching all five main numbers plus the Mega Ball. Players who match all six numbers correctly win the jackpot.

The advertised jackpot equates to the average annuity value of the prize over a 29-year period, which means that the cash lump sum jackpots are less than the advertised amount. All players have the option of taking their payout in a cash lump sum or as an annuity but, in certain states, players are required to choose the payout method when purchasing their ticket.

Winning Mega Millions

The prizes, along with the odds of winning, can be seen in the table below. Overall, there is a 1 in 24 chance of winning a prize when you play Mega Millions.

Match

Odds of Winning

Estimated Prize Fund

Match 5 plus Mega Ball

1 in 302,575,350

Jackpot

Match 5

1 in 12,607,306

$1 million

Match 4 plus Mega Ball

1 in 931,001

$10,000

Match 4

1 in 38,792

$500.00

Match 3 plus Mega Ball

1 in 14,547

$200.00

Match 2 plus Mega Ball

1 in 693

$10.00

Match 3

1 in 606

$10.00

Match 1 plus Mega Ball

1 in 89

$4.00

Only Mega Ball

1 in 37

$2.00

In some states, players have the option to play the Megaplier for a small extra fee and increase the value of any non-jackpot prize. Players wishing to opt into the Megaplier are simply required to tick a box on their play card. Before the main draw takes place, the Megaplier number – between 2 and 5 – is drawn and all non-jackpot prizes are multiplied by that number, but only for those players who have included the Megaplier option. This means that a non-jackpot prize, with the Megaplier option selected, has the potential to be multiplied by up to 5 times.

Players can also opt to play Just the Jackpot. For $3, entrants play two lines, but forgo the opportunity to win a non-jackpot prize. Anyone taking this option must match all five main numbers and the Mega Ball to receive a prize.

To buy tickets for the Mega Millions simply click the link above at Online Lotto.